PROGRESS OF MIRAMAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 178, 17 April 1918, Page 8

PROGRESS OF MIRAMAR

INTERESTING STATEMENT IMPROVED FINANCE An interesting statement ol the affairs of Jliramar was submitted by Mr. T. O. Fox, Horotigh I'jiginwr nnd i Acting-Town Clerk, tu the Mayor and councillors at tin- incetinj; nf the Minima r Borough Council last week. In his report Mr. Fox said:— Hofprrinjr to the general progrrss of tho borough, three facts stand out prominently as showing the advance thai, lias been made. Firstly, the value of the. buildings for ■which permits wore obtained constitutes a record, end although last, year's figiirn was a ronsidorable increase over that of any previous year since the formation of the borough, tho amount for the lasi twelve months is nearly three times the value for 1916-17, being £42,664. Secondly, there has boon close on '20(1 sections sold during the last twelve months, a good proportion having been purchased by persons who have already started to build or who conteiuplato doing so as soon as the prices of materials show signs of reMiining to a morn reasonable figure. Thirdly, tho increase in population as thown by the last census liad had its effect on the tramway revenue, nnd rdtliough the cost of operating has increased tiie result of the year's working is nn improvement over that of last year to the extent of about £130. Another indication of the progress of the borough can be seen in tho efforts that have had to be made by the Education Board to keep pace "with tho pruning demands of the district in the matter of school accommodation. About eighteen months ago tho main school on Seatoun Heights Eoad was found to be overcrowded, and a. ride school was opened in Sen.toun. This being insufficient to relieve tho congestion, the hoard, recognising the suitability of tho building and its position, approached the council with a view to acquiring tho use of the Town Hall, and the matter was satisfactorily arranged. A few weeks ago it was found necessary t& open a .third .side school in Worser Bay. The board decided last year to erect a, permanent building in Seatoun, but before the work was-commenced it was considered advisable to alter the original plans by tho addition of further class rooms. It is understood that a similar building will shortly be erected on the Miramar side of the borough. Another event in connection with educational matters which is of considerable importance to the borough is tlio purchase by the Board of Governors of Scots College of some eleven and a half acres of land, upon which ar> oxtensive building is afc present in course of construction.

Tramway Returns. The increase in the cash tram fares on the Seatoun line lias been £124 and on the Miramar section £18, while the sale of concession tickets has risen by £129. These figures represent an ipcrease of 57,000 in the number of passengers carried, the total number last .year being 698,671. That tlic improvement in the revenue is due entirely to a larger population is shown by the fact that the sum derived from holiday traffic is practically tho same i.s last year. Tho Jliramar Avenue tramway continues to prove its usefulness, the tonnage hauled over it during the last twelve months being approximately 26,000. During the year the council purchased a motor.bue, to be used ns a loader from Karaka Bay to Seatoun, and in tho eleven months it has been running it has carried 28,056 passengers. While the running costs have exceeded the returns by about £120, the fact must not be lost sight of that tho absence of some such vehicle would result in a considerable drop in the tramway revenue, and also possibly in the rateable value of the properties served by the biis. Borough Finances. Referring to the financial side of the year's operations, the result can be viewed with satisfaction by the. council and the ratepayers. Tho debit balanco on the general account has been reduced by £834, that on the interest account by £602, and the hospital and charitable aid contribution account is now .in credit. This moans that the stato of the finances lias improved to the extent of £1486 during the last twelve- months. Taking info account tho result of the previous year's working, tho indebtedness of the borough has been reduced by £3148 since April I, 1916. It will be noticed that in tho stutemt'iit of receipts laid before you there is the sum of £629 received as a contribution to road ivorks ysit to be carried out. This amount, therefore, will be seen also in tho statement of liabilities, but as a set-off against this the council has purchased new plant, including the motor bus, of a total value of £72!). One further point- of interest in tbri accounts concerns the interest on the £12,000 tramway loan, which has been more than met by the income from the invested sinking fund for this loan. It will be remembered that, with the approval of the Controller and Auditor-General, this income was diverted for tho above purpose, as the fund had reached a figure greater than the amount of tho loan, although the latter does not mature til! 1933.